Pancreatic Cancer Research
Grad2016

Abstract
This paper is looking into the effects of pancreatic cancer and the research behind it. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly forms of cancer known and contributes to over 30,000 deaths a year in the U.S. alone. Little is known about this killer cancer or of an accurate treatment. Unfortunately this disease has a very low survival rate even with treatment. There are several benefactors associated with this disease that we will discuss as well. These include alcohol abuse, genetics, tobacco, diabetes and lifestyle. There is a lot of research being conducted on this killer disease with hopes of increasing the survival rate with a cure or early diagnosis.

One of the most deadly cancers is known as Pancreatic Cancer. This type of cancer is confined to the pancreas and is responsible for thousands of deaths every year. Little is known about the true cause of pancreatic cancer or a curable treatment. One of the reasons it is associated with the most deadly cancers is the fact that even with treatment it still has a very low survival rate. According to H. Chang (2007) only 10-15% of patients can expect to be cured by treatment. Out of the 30,000 plus patients that are diagnosed each year that is a very low survival rate. Pancreatic cancer is very hard to diagnose at an early stage because there is no precursor standard that is associated with it. Recent research has identified an association with hyperglycemia with patients that suffer from pancreatic cancer. It is widely known that people who suffer from diabetes are more susceptible to being diagnosed with cancer. Although cancer has been mostly associated with the type 2 diabetes. Research published by L. Han, et al (2011) looked into the response of the cells when given controlled levels of glucose. Their study showed an association with the levels and concluded that people who suffer from type 2 diabetes should closely monitor their glucose levels in order to stave off the disease. Although this does not conclude that everyone with type 2 diabetes will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It does however offer an association that could lead to early diagnosis of the disease. Another benefactor of pancreatic cancer is contributed to alcohol. "During pancreatitis, alcohol and its metabolites can cause similar molecular-cellular mechanisms that are common to inflammatory processes, such as generation of reactive oxygen species, NF-κB, cyclooxygenase-2, and various cytokines; loss of tumor suppression function; and stimulation of oncogene expression(Go,Gukovskaya, and Pandol 2005)". It has shown that repetitive abuse of alcohol can leave lesions on the pancreas and therefore eventually lead to pancreatic cancer. Lifestyle has also been a contributing factor to pancreatic cancer. Some research has concluded that those who suffer from obesity and physical inactivity are at an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. This could be linked back to people with hyperglycemia because they are more associated with obesity and lack of physical activity. Just by changing your lifestyle can benefit you by lowering your risk of contracting a disease such as pancreatic cancer. Genetics also plays an important role in contracting this disease. Our genetic makeup shares a link to disease that we can contract. It constitutes the strength of our immune system and the functioning of our body. Many researchers have identified genes that are associated with many types of diseases. One publishing looked into the relationship of pancreatic cancer and the oncogene k-ras. "The oncogene k-ras is almost universally mutated in pancreatic cancer, but does not appear to be a particularly specific finding for cancer" (Cowgill and Muscarella 2003). Although we cannot change our genetic makeup given to us by our parents, it could lead biologist into early diagnosis of a patient. There have also been ties with tobacco use and pancreatic cancer. Research published by Askari, Tsao and Schuller (2005) showed that the binding of NNK, the carcinogen in nicotine, with the B1 and B2 receptors can contribute to stimulation of the pancreatic adenocarcinomas cells. You do not even have to actually smoke the cigarette to be exposed to this, it can be contracted through second hand smoke as well. Research has also suggested that smokers are more prone to contracting other cancers as well such as lung and throat due to the carcinogens contained in the nicotine. There are many forms of treatment associated with pancreatic cancer. The most common treatment of this disease is surgery. Due to the fact that the pancreas is most commonly at a very sever stage when diagnosed it usually requires surgery as a corrective action. Although some patients are given antibiotics as treatment. Not all patients have to undergo surgery for treatment of pancreatic cancer. Some have responded well to antibiotics only and have overcome the challenges associated with acute pancreatitis according to M. Fernandez-Zapico (2005). Another form of treatment is exposure to radiation through chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is used to slow down the growth of the cancer cells but it results in making the patient very ill and weak. Once this occurs in the patient they are more susceptible to other diseases as well because their immune system does not function properly. In conclusion without the help of biologist and biology we would not be able to identify many of the diseases that plague our lives. This paper is on just one of many that kills thousands every year worldwide. As technology progresses and more research is conducted we may just find a cure for not only this type of cancer but for all of the cancers that take our loved ones from us. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a great start to being cancer free as is early diagnosis. If you feel as though you may be at a greater risk of cancer you should talk to your doctor and have test conducted to ensure of an early diagnosis. If caught in time it could be a matter of life or death.
Works Cited
Askari, M. D. F., Tsao, M., & Schuller, H. M. (2005). The tobacco-specific carcinogen, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone stimulates proliferation of immortalized human pancreatic duct epithelia through beta]-adrenergic transactivation of EGF receptors. Journal of Cancer Research & Clinical Oncology, 131(10), 639-48.
Chang, H. (2007). RNAi-mediated knockdown of target genes: A promising strategy for pancreatic cancer research. Cancer Gene Therapy, 14(8), 677-85.
Cowgill, S. M., & Muscarella, P. (2003). The genetics of pancreatic cancer. The American Journal of Surgery, 186(3), 279-86.
Fernandez-Zapico, M. (2005). 'Understanding the development of pancreatic cancer will emerge from basic research'. Pancreatology, 5(2-3), 116-8.
Go, V. L. W., Gukovskaya, A., & Pandol, S. J. (2005). Alcohol and pancreatic cancer. Alcohol, 35(3), 205-11.
Han, L., Ma, Q., Li, J., Liu, H., Li, W., Ma, G., . . . Wu, E. (2011). High glucose promotes pancreatic cancer cell proliferation via the induction of EGF expression and transactivation of EGFR. PLoS One, 6(11)